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Is it 'treason' for Alberta separatists to maneuver with foreign officials? Ottawa says no

Is it 'treason' for Alberta separatists to maneuver with foreign officials? Ottawa says no

Unlike the U.S. Logan Act, Canada has no law on the books stopping citizens from meeting with foreign governments. Federal officials say that Alberta separatists going around Ottawa and repeatedly meeting with U.S. officials to advance their cause is legal for Canadians, within certain limits, even though similar behaviour could be prohibited elsewhere. When separatist organizer Jeffrey Rath claimed last...

Carney speaks with European leaders on efforts to reach Ukraine peace deal

Carney speaks with European leaders on efforts to reach Ukraine peace deal

Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with European leaders Tuesday on the latest efforts to advance Ukraine's security and recovery. In a social media post, Carney said Canada and European leaders support efforts to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago. They also stand ready to provide "robust security guarantees...

Public servants under pressure to enact ‘delivery-and-execution agenda’ in 2026 with job cuts on the horizon

Public servants under pressure to enact ‘delivery-and-execution agenda’ in 2026 with job cuts on the horizon

While grappling with job cuts and the looming spectre of a full-time return to office, the federal public service will be under the microscope to deliver on ambitious files key to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s mandate in 2026, from trade negotiations to defence procurement to building homes. That’s as a long-awaited report from an expert panel suggested the government should...

‘Year of sport’: SecState van Koeverden pitches Canada as ‘best host nation in the world’ ahead of 2026 World Cup

‘Year of sport’: SecState van Koeverden pitches Canada as ‘best host nation in the world’ ahead of 2026 World Cup

Athletics 'are a great way to open doors,' says Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden. But although the World Cup excitement is ‘undeniable,’ human rights concerns, and hockey’s ‘reckoning’ in 2025 have left Canadian fans feeling ‘deeply conflicted,’ counters NDP critic Gord Johns.

Ipsos poll reveals the news Canadians watched and worried about in 2025

Ipsos poll reveals the news Canadians watched and worried about in 2025

Affordability and health care topped the list of Canadians’ top issues in 2025, while the decline of the Canada–U.S. relationship dominated the year’s biggest news stories for Canadians, according to new polling conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Global News. “Affordability ranked number one on the issues Canadians focused most on this past year, overwhelmingly,” Ipsos Public Affairs CEO Darrell...

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Liberals 39% (+1), Conservatives 37% (-1)

Liberals 39% (+1), Conservatives 37% (-1)

A new national Liaison Strategies poll conducted over the weekend shows the Liberals up one point to 39%, while the Conservatives slip one to 37%. The federal NDP remains in double digits, but is down one point to 11%. Conducted from December 19-28, 2025, using Interactive Voice Response (IVR), the survey polled 1,000 Canadians, with the sample split evenly between...

2025 closes out in a neutral consumer confidence posture

2025 closes out in a neutral consumer confidence posture

Canadian consumer confidence closes out the year in a neutral posture with a score near 50 on the 100-point diffusion index. Views related to the future strength of the Canadian economy and person finances remain net negative while perceptions on the future value of real estate remains net positive.



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If Trump is the question, can Poilievre really be the best Conservative answer?

If Trump is the question, can Poilievre really be the best Conservative answer?

Canada's next election will turn on how much people want to escape the chaos and division Trump brings to their lives. Conservatives have a horse bred for a different race. Trump was sworn into office again a little more than 300 days ago. In 300 days, Americans can hit the reset button. Most Canadians are really hoping that they do...

Mark Carney’s conceivable tragic fall will come from hubris

Mark Carney’s conceivable tragic fall will come from hubris

It has been curious to watch Prime Minister Mark Carney’s parade of year-end interviews while reading Paul Litt’s excellent 2011 biography of former prime minister John Turner: Elusive Destiny. Many of Turner’s qualities, as noted by journalist Ron Graham in a Saturday Night magazine profile ahead of the 1984 Liberal leadership election, could equally be said of Carney.

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Andre De Grasse, Nardwuar among 80 new appointments to the Order of Canada

Andre De Grasse, Nardwuar among 80 new appointments to the Order of Canada

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has announced 80 appointments to the Order of Canada — a list that includes Olympians, journalists, Indigenous leaders and doctors. Simon's office announced six new companions, the highest level of the Order of Canada; 15 officers; and 59 members, the introductory level in the order. Six appointments are a promotion within the Order of Canada and...

Harman Bhangu says he will 'most likely' run for leadership of B.C. Conservatives

Harman Bhangu says he will 'most likely' run for leadership of B.C. Conservatives

VICTORIA -- B.C. Conservative MLA Harman Bhangu says he will "most likely" run for the leadership of the provincial Opposition party, if the yet-to-be-released rules for the race are to his liking.

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The Combatting Hate Act actually protects communities of faith

The Combatting Hate Act actually protects communities of faith

An important underlying purpose of the Combatting Hate Act is protecting communities of faith. Nobody should be intimidated or obstructed when they want to go pray. The act gives police clear tools to intervene when intimidation or obstruction of a community space occurs. It is an important signal that Parliament expects police and prosecutors to act to protect communities of...



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As long as Trump is in office, Canada is at risk. This is why protecting ourselves is the most important thing we can do

As long as Trump is in office, Canada is at risk. This is why protecting ourselves is the most important thing we can do

The week that Donald Trump was elected I offered Justin Trudeau some free advice in this newspaper. At that time, Trudeau was trailing Pierre Poilievre in the polls by 25 points and had been for two years, hanging onto power despite being so personally unpopular that he could not win support for anything.

Precarity Is the Mood. Independence Is the Risk Most Voters Will Not Take

Precarity Is the Mood. Independence Is the Risk Most Voters Will Not Take

I was 13 years old when Quebec voted on independence in 1995. I vaguely remember coming home the night the votes were being counted and seeing my parents glued to the television. I did not fully understand the stakes, but I could feel them. The tension in the room was unmistakable. Adults spoke in lowered voices. The country felt like...

Why 2025 changed everything in Canada’s political playbook

Why 2025 changed everything in Canada’s political playbook

As we close the book on 2025, the Canadian political landscape is not just altered, it is unrecognizable. For those of us within the “bubble,” this year served as a reminder that the old playbooks are obsolete. In 12 months, we witnessed the fall of a populist juggernaut, the erasure of a major party’s official status, and a pivot toward...

Canada and the EU can win an arms race with Russia, even without Trump

Canada and the EU can win an arms race with Russia, even without Trump

In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s Sunday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the U.S. president said he spoke with the leaders of France, Finland, Poland, Norway, Italy, the U.K. and Germany, as well as the presidents of NATO and the European Commission. Canada was notable by its absence, despite committing an additional $2.5 billion in financing and loan...

Why Mark Carney Cannot Afford to Ignore Public Approval

Why Mark Carney Cannot Afford to Ignore Public Approval

Politics has always been a degrading popularity contest. To remain in power, politicians require public support and so find themselves in a constant battle to win affection or, at the very least, respect. The paradox is that the harder they try, the less likeable they often become. Over time, many leaders begin to chafe at this dependency. The need to...

In these dark days, look to Irwin Cotler

In these dark days, look to Irwin Cotler

In these dark days, look to Irwin Cotler. No wonder hope seems so much harder to conjure up than despair when one reads the daily news. In particular, the counter-revolution against the post-war liberal consensus being led by Donald Trump inspires dread and fear.



Selective Sovereignty and Autocratic Aggression: It’s Time for a New Arctic Bargain

Selective Sovereignty and Autocratic Aggression: It’s Time for a New Arctic Bargain

I remember clearly a conversation in Luleå — known as the gateway to Swedish Lapland — with then U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, as we negotiated the founding bargain of the Arctic Council. It was the mid-1990s, and Canada was shepherding the Council into being via the 1996 Ottawa Declaration. The critical issue was whether to include national...

As year ends, the Conservatives are polling better than at any point since the election

As year ends, the Conservatives are polling better than at any point since the election

As Canada closes out 2025, the Conservatives are suddenly polling higher than at any point since the swearing-in of Mark Carney as prime minister. In the last days of December, several pollsters posted year-end results finding that the Conservatives and Liberals would be neck and neck in a federal election. A Dec. 19 poll by Innovative Research had the Liberals...

Mark Carney will be in the hot seat as he tries to fend off Trump

Mark Carney will be in the hot seat as he tries to fend off Trump

We are about to embark on 2026. Should we look ahead with optimism, pessimism or trepidation? Essentially, it is unknown as the crazy man in the White House continues his rampage, destroying what were warm relations between Canada and the United States and turning them to ice. Most Canadians know how to deal with ice so we should have the...

Canada Must be Ready for a Post-CUSMA Economy

Canada Must be Ready for a Post-CUSMA Economy

Negotiations on the future of our trade framework with the Trump administration resume in mid-January. Canadian negotiators will continue to work to renew the continental CUSMA agreement that is the successor to NAFTA. This is the preferred result. But we must also acknowledge that non-renewal is a possible outcome. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has already served notice that the...

Forget polarization. This year, we found a new Canadian consensus

Forget polarization. This year, we found a new Canadian consensus

Remember how deeply divided Canada was over building new oil pipelines last year? Not any more. Two years ago, politicians of all stripes felt the public would never support substantially increased military spending? Now, most do. Free trade is almost a wistful notion from a happier past; economic nationalism is in. The pro-immigration consensus, part of this country’s social fabric...

2025 wasn’t all doom and gloom

2025 wasn’t all doom and gloom

It might not feel like it, but 2025 was not end-to-end doom-and-gloom – even if it doled out its fair share of the dark stuff. To wrap up this often challenging (understatement of the, yes) year, here’s a look back at some of the happier highlights of the annum Donald Trump returned to office, wars continued to rage, and natural...



Oh no, the MAGA economy isn’t working for the MAGA crowd

Oh no, the MAGA economy isn’t working for the MAGA crowd

Someone needs to tell Donald Trump that yelling a lie won’t make doubters believe it. In his defensive, Scrooge-like message from the White House last week, Shouty Claus railed about the awful economy he’d inherited and how hard it’s proving to mend. Nonetheless, he boomed in staccato until he grew breathless, the economy was doing great, it was on the...

Will 2026 be the year of Quebec sovereignty’s comeback?

Will 2026 be the year of Quebec sovereignty’s comeback?

As 1993 drew to a close, Canada was on the edge. Two failed attempts at getting Quebec to sign the 1982 Constitution had put the Parti Québécois on the trail to a comeback. After floundering for eight years, the PQ led in the polls only months ahead of a provincial election. And under its hardline sovereigntist leader, Jacques Parizeau, it...

The Recipe for Political Effectiveness

The Recipe for Political Effectiveness

If you want to know why Canadians judge a leader as an effective prime minister, you can ask them directly. Or you can look at what sits behind those judgments. That is what I set out to do. I ran the same statistical test for Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre and asked a straightforward question:

Canadians care, yet this issue never makes it onto the political agenda

Canadians care, yet this issue never makes it onto the political agenda

Here’s my New Year’s list — not for the best or the worst of 2025 — but for the issue most consistently ignored, despite the fact that people care about it.

Liberals up, Tories down, NDP sad

Liberals up, Tories down, NDP sad

If there was ever a year that proved that politics can still surprise, it was 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump started it by declaring Canada the 51st state and ended it by adding his name to the Kennedy Center. Our spring federal election morphed from Conservative cakewalk to Liberal renaissance, and the winter saw a flurry of floor crossing. Alberta...

Canada’s tolerance of antisemitic intolerance has gone too far

Canada’s tolerance of antisemitic intolerance has gone too far

Osman Azizov, who allegedly hunted Jewish women, has been released on bail. How warped are our values in the name of accommodation and diversity



Five reasons why Doug Ford won’t be prime minister

Five reasons why Doug Ford won’t be prime minister

Doug Ford for Prime Minister? It’s the question everyone asks me, in both official languages — even though Ontario’s premier can only speak one of them.

Decades before it became a political wedge issue, I knew someone who embodied what DEI ought to be about

Decades before it became a political wedge issue, I knew someone who embodied what DEI ought to be about

Put the playlist on, and I’ll listen to everything from “Adeste Fideles” to “Petit Papa Noël.” I love Christmas music. But dancing among the carols and Christmas songs in my seasonal memory are a couple of other festive numbers, too.

Prediction for Danielle Smith and Alberta in 2026: more chaos

Prediction for Danielle Smith and Alberta in 2026: more chaos

The chickens are coming home to roost for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. And as we prepare for 2026 to dawn, so many chickens are coming home she’s pretty much running a political poultry farm.

Divisions persist, but Canadians are forming a broad consensus on the need for nation-building

Divisions persist, but Canadians are forming a broad consensus on the need for nation-building

The world of politics often embraces contradictions. Canada faces a stark contradiction today. On the one hand, our country is dangerously divided, regionally and generationally. Both Quebec and Alberta may soon be holding referendums on sovereignty. Many younger Canadians living economically precarious lives resent the Boomers and Gen Xers, with their pensions, health care and other entitlements that millennials and...

Pierre Poilievre under pressure as Conservative caucus cracks

Pierre Poilievre under pressure as Conservative caucus cracks

MPs defect, unity frays and a leadership review looms for the Conservative Leader

Can Poilievre steal back his agenda?

Can Poilievre steal back his agenda?

He will have to face the fact that his opponent has been selling Tory policies better than he did — and do something about it. A year ago, Justin Trudeau was still determined to hang on as prime minister, still professing to believe he could win the next election against all odds and public evidence. If he’d held on, he’d...

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Iran lists Canada's navy as terrorist organization in response to move by Ottawa

Iran lists Canada's navy as terrorist organization in response to move by Ottawa

OTTAWA -- Tehran has designated Canada's navy as a terrorist organization in response to Ottawa's decision to add an Iranian military branch to its list of extremist groups.

Green Party, commission reach settlement over debate exclusion

Green Party, commission reach settlement over debate exclusion

The federal Leaders’ Debates Commission says a settlement has been reached with the Green Party after it challenged its exclusion from the 2025 debates ahead of the general election. The commission posted a brief statement on its website Tuesday. “The Green Party of Canada and the Leaders’ Debates Commission have agreed to a mutual settlement of the Green Party of...

With a rising threat of separatism in Quebec, Carney's Liberals don't have a strategy yet

With a rising threat of separatism in Quebec, Carney's Liberals don't have a strategy yet

Former Quebec lieutenant Steven Guilbeault had started to map out a federal strategy to respond to the PQ, but it was very early stages, Liberal sources said. As Canada prepares to enter 2026 which could see the Parti Québécois (PQ) take power in Quebec and enact its promise of a third referendum, it remains unclear what, if anything, Prime Minister...

Immigration department halts skilled refugee jobs program, leaving employers in limbo

Immigration department halts skilled refugee jobs program, leaving employers in limbo

The federal Immigration Department halted a pilot program that matched skilled refugees with job vacancies and granted them permanent residency, leaving Canadian businesses and fresh hires in limbo days before Christmas. The unexpected decision to pause the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, communicated last week in a letter to groups involved in the program, has dismayed and surprised non-profit recruiters matching...

Minister not promising source water protection in new First Nations clean water bill

Minister not promising source water protection in new First Nations clean water bill

With her government under pressure to finally eliminate boil-water advisories in First Nations communities, the federal minister responsible for Indigenous services isn't committing to bringing back a defunct clean water bill in the new year as written -- after two provinces objected to it. That bill, which died when the last federal election was called, was drafted with input from...

New legal structure of Alberta health system in place, Premier Smith now eyes results

New legal structure of Alberta health system in place, Premier Smith now eyes results

The Alberta government in 2025 completed the final legal foundations of its new health-care system -- and Premier Danielle Smith says she's working in 2026 to prove it was worth it. The massive reorganization saw Smith dismantle Alberta Health Services as the provincial health authority and relegate it to a hospital service provider. Smith said with one major piece of...

Treasury Board minister silent on details of plan to shrink federal public service

Treasury Board minister silent on details of plan to shrink federal public service

Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali says the federal government hasn't worked out details of its plans to cut the bureaucracy and boost the amount of time public servants spend in the office. Ali said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press the government is still finalizing its workforce adjustment and return-to-office plans. Hundreds of federal employees have been warned...

Anand affirms Canada's view that Ukraine must control decisions about its sovereignty

Anand affirms Canada's view that Ukraine must control decisions about its sovereignty

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she told her Ukrainian counterpart today that decisions about Ukraine's sovereignty must be made by Kyiv itself. Anand's conversation with Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, followed Canada's recent commitment of an additional $2.5 billion in economic assistance to the country as it fights Russia's invasion. Anand said in a social media post that she...

Organizers of West Bank delegation blocked by Israel call for steeper sanctions

Organizers of West Bank delegation blocked by Israel call for steeper sanctions

Members of a Canadian delegation that was denied entry to the West Bank earlier this month are calling on Ottawa to tighten sanctions targeting new Israeli settlements in occupied territory. A group that included six Canadian MPs on a mission to meet with displaced Palestinians was turned away at the Allenby border crossing into the West Bank on Dec. 16...

Trump forces a rewrite of Canada’s trade strategy

Trump forces a rewrite of Canada’s trade strategy

Everybody is a trade minister in Mark Carney’s Cabinet. Donald Trump’s return to the presidency has ripped up decades of Canadian goodwill toward deeper economic integration with the United States. Nearly every senior minister is now involved in managing the fallout of America’s use of trade as a weapon — a situation the prime ministers office is treating as an...

‘Most dangerous period that we’ve been in’: Carney urged to bolster ‘Team Canada’ approach ahead of CUSMA review

‘Most dangerous period that we’ve been in’: Carney urged to bolster ‘Team Canada’ approach ahead of CUSMA review

The Carney government isn't repeating many of the same steps that allowed Canada to come out of the NAFTA renegotiations with a trade deal intact even though the U.S. president can do more damage to the Canadian economy this time around, says Senator Hassan Yussuff.

Mélanie Joly likes to talk tough. Now she has to deliver

Mélanie Joly likes to talk tough. Now she has to deliver

Mélanie Joly — the lawyer and former foreign affairs minister now industry minister on the economic front lines of a trade war — talked tough all fall. She threatened to sue Stellantis after it halted Canadian auto production plans in Brampton. She warned a British mining giant poised to take over one of Canada’s last big diversified mining companies that...

U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says

U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says

The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbour's land by force. U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Zelenskyy...

'Elbows up' is over for business and labour leaders, who now want Carney to 'put pucks in the net'

'Elbows up' is over for business and labour leaders, who now want Carney to 'put pucks in the net'

If emotions over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his comments about coveting Canada as a “51st state” defined the posture of political leaders towards the cross-border relationship in 2025, business leaders are urging that cool heads prevail in the new year. With Canada set to begin formal talks with the U.S. over its trilateral agreement with Mexico in January...

Why a one-seat majority might be the worst-case scenario for federal Liberals

Why a one-seat majority might be the worst-case scenario for federal Liberals

During the Liberals’ Dec. 11 Christmas party just hours after Conservative MP Michael Ma crossed the floor to the government, soirée hosts James Maloney and Mona Fortier joked to ecstatic attendees that their favourite number was “172”. That’s the minimum number of MPs a party needs to get a simple majority in the House of Commons. With Ma’s crossing, the...

Carney's foreign policy shift to trade, security prompts questions about human rights

Carney's foreign policy shift to trade, security prompts questions about human rights

As Prime Minister Mark Carney puts trade and security at the centre of Canada's foreign policy, observers say Ottawa is also shifting how it asserts its values on the world stage. The Liberals insist they are still standing up for human rights globally while seeking investment from China, India and Gulf countries. But a change in priorities is prompting some...

Popularity persists for Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew two years into government mandate

Popularity persists for Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew two years into government mandate

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew's popularity shows little sign of sagging, more than two years after his NDP government was elected. The support remains despite ongoing challenges in reducing health-care wait times, ending chronic homelessness and stopping a string of provincial budget deficits. Kinew has consistently ranked at the top of monthly Angus Reid polls on the popularity of the country's...

Poilievre sees better days ahead for Conservatives after a ‘challenging year’

Poilievre sees better days ahead for Conservatives after a ‘challenging year’

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre paused when asked how he’d describe the last year. He was speaking with The Globe and Mail as part of a run of year-end interviews, many of which focused on the news of the two MPs who quit his party and joined Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals. The surprise defections brought the minority Liberals to within...

Former MP Charlie Angus planned a quiet retirement. Now, he'd rather 'kick at the darkness'

Former MP Charlie Angus planned a quiet retirement. Now, he'd rather 'kick at the darkness'

Longtime NDP MP takes 'shit disturber' ethos across the country — and to YouTube. Sitting in Ottawa's Rainbow Bistro, preparing for his band to play a gig, former MP Charlie Angus was reflecting on the past year. His plan to quietly retire and write a book turned into creating viral videos viewed around the world and a cross-Canada tour to...

Little appetite for return to two-party Upper Chamber among former and current Senate leaders

Little appetite for return to two-party Upper Chamber among former and current Senate leaders

first appointments to fill Upper Chamber vacancies, a number of past, current, and incoming group leaders are clearly stating they want to see the continuation of the independent model that began under the previous Liberal government. “It’s certainly possible that we could see another political party in the Senate, maybe the return of a Liberal caucus. But I think many...

'Waters are choppy': Moe reflects on year that brought uncertainty and more problems

'Waters are choppy': Moe reflects on year that brought uncertainty and more problems

REGINA -- Saskatchewan Premier Scott began the year with a smaller crew of mostly newbies, pledging to do better on everything from health care and education to balancing budgets.

In 2025, melting sea ice allowed a Canadian icebreaker to enter the world's last ice area

In 2025, melting sea ice allowed a Canadian icebreaker to enter the world's last ice area

The waters around the Queen Elizabeth Islands and western Tuvaijuittuq in Canada's High Arctic have long remained a mystery to scientists. Often referred to as one of the last places in the world with year-round sea ice, these waters have historically been difficult to access because of the thickness of the ice. But melting sea ice has opened a path...

Top federal department blasted as 'hypocritical' for refusing to share layoff numbers

Top federal department blasted as 'hypocritical' for refusing to share layoff numbers

Canada’s largest public-sector union blasted the top government department as “hypocritical” for refusing to say how many of its employees received notice of a potential layoff weeks ago. The silence from the Privy Council Office (PCO) signals the government may not be forthcoming with public information as the majority of federal departments and agencies prepare to announce major layoffs in...

Carney announces an additional $2.5 billion in economic assistance for Ukraine

Carney announces an additional $2.5 billion in economic assistance for Ukraine

Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned new Russian air attacks and announced additional economic assistance for Ukraine as he and the country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stood side-by-side and spoke to reporters at a Halifax-area airport. The two leaders embraced as Carney welcomed Zelenskyy to Canada. Zelenskyy touched down for a brief stop on his way to Florida for planned peace talks...

In, out and just hanging on: A tumultuous year in politics for Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre

In, out and just hanging on: A tumultuous year in politics for Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre

By the time you read this it is entirely possible that everything has changed. It’s been that kind of year.

Midterms and tariffs: 2026 could be a critical year for Canada-U.S. relations

Midterms and tariffs: 2026 could be a critical year for Canada-U.S. relations

Donald Trump's return to the White House brought with it a tidal wave of change that has upended global trade, rattled allies and pushed political and social boundaries in the United States. But the U.S. president faces headwinds as he enters the second year of his second term -- and Canada can expect to feel the effects.

After U.S. outreach, Alberta separatists will head to Latin America to rustle up support for their cause

After U.S. outreach, Alberta separatists will head to Latin America to rustle up support for their cause

Could they really break up Canada? In recent months — and as recently as last week — separatists have been wooing the Trump administration for support for an independent Alberta. They plan to continue those discussions with the U.S. State Department, and one Alberta Republican even plans to take the campaign further south, to Latin America, to rustle up support...

Navy ponders concept of Canadian-built amphibious landing ship for Arctic operations

Navy ponders concept of Canadian-built amphibious landing ship for Arctic operations

Canada's defence establishment entering an era of bigger ambitions and budgets. The commander of the Royal Canadian Navy is floating the idea of an ice-capable amphibious landing ship to move troops and equipment around the country’s Arctic — and perhaps elsewhere. But Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is quick not to get his hopes up — and has even, occasionally, taken pains...

Gull-Masty reflects on first months of job Indigenous leaders were wary of her taking

Gull-Masty reflects on first months of job Indigenous leaders were wary of her taking

When Mandy Gull-Masty took up the role of Indigenous services minister last spring, one question loomed over her appointment: why would a Cree woman want to administer the Indian Act, when another First Nations woman before her turned down the role? Gull-Masty was named to the cabinet job in May after being elected as a member of Parliament for the...

Carney, Zelenskyy speak as Ukrainian president prepares for peace talks in Florida

Carney, Zelenskyy speak as Ukrainian president prepares for peace talks in Florida

Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he prepares to head to the United States for a key meeting in the ongoing talks to end the war with Russia. Zelenskyy is set to visit Florida over the weekend for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on a potential agreement the Ukrainian leader said is...



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Zohran Mamdani is set to be sworn in as mayor as NYC rings in the New Year

Zohran Mamdani is set to be sworn in as mayor as NYC rings in the New Year

Zohran Mamdani will become mayor of New York City as the clock ticks over into 2026 -- but the celebrations are set to last through New Year's Day.

Democrat Renee Hardman wins Iowa state Senate seat, blocking GOP from reclaiming a supermajority

Democrat Renee Hardman wins Iowa state Senate seat, blocking GOP from reclaiming a supermajority

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Democrat Renee Hardman was elected to the Iowa state Senate on Tuesday in a year-end special election, denying Republicans from reclaiming two-thirds control of the chamber.

Kennedy Center renaming prompts new round of cancellations from artists

Kennedy Center renaming prompts new round of cancellations from artists

More artists have canceled scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center following the addition of President Donald Trump's name to the facility, with jazz supergroup The Cookers pulling out of a planned New Year's Eve concert, and the institution's president saying the cancellations belie the artists' unwillingness to see their music as crossing lines of political disparity.

Trump says US struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he'd launched a "powerful and deadly strike" against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after he spent weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians.

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Carney speaks with European leaders on efforts to reach Ukraine peace deal

Carney speaks with European leaders on efforts to reach Ukraine peace deal

Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with European leaders Tuesday on the latest efforts to advance Ukraine's security and recovery. In a social media post, Carney said Canada and European leaders support efforts to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago. They also stand ready to provide "robust security guarantees...

Anand affirms Canada's view that Ukraine must control decisions about its sovereignty

Anand affirms Canada's view that Ukraine must control decisions about its sovereignty

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she told her Ukrainian counterpart today that decisions about Ukraine's sovereignty must be made by Kyiv itself. Anand's conversation with Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, followed Canada's recent commitment of an additional $2.5 billion in economic assistance to the country as it fights Russia's invasion. Anand said in a social media post that she...

Organizers of West Bank delegation blocked by Israel call for steeper sanctions

Organizers of West Bank delegation blocked by Israel call for steeper sanctions

Members of a Canadian delegation that was denied entry to the West Bank earlier this month are calling on Ottawa to tighten sanctions targeting new Israeli settlements in occupied territory. A group that included six Canadian MPs on a mission to meet with displaced Palestinians was turned away at the Allenby border crossing into the West Bank on Dec. 16...

U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says

U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says

The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, though he said he would prefer an American commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize its neighbour's land by force. U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Zelenskyy...

Carney announces an additional $2.5 billion in economic assistance for Ukraine

Carney announces an additional $2.5 billion in economic assistance for Ukraine

Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned new Russian air attacks and announced additional economic assistance for Ukraine as he and the country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stood side-by-side and spoke to reporters at a Halifax-area airport. The two leaders embraced as Carney welcomed Zelenskyy to Canada. Zelenskyy touched down for a brief stop on his way to Florida for planned peace talks...

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Policy Q&A: Sen. Peter Boehm on Year One of Trump II

Policy Q&A: Sen. Peter Boehm on Year One of Trump II

Lisa Van Dusen: Senator Boehm, that was quite a year. Between the trade war, Donald Trump’s renewed undermining of multilateralism, and the geopolitical implications of American degradation — I think Trump’s recent National Security Strategy may have summed it up best as a capstone to 2025. How do you see Trump II, Year One? Sen. Peter Boehm: In foreign policy...

2025 Year in Review: 5 Things We Learned About Asia and Canada

2025 Year in Review: 5 Things We Learned About Asia and Canada

The year 2025 was a year of volatility, experimentation, and recalibration across Asia and Canada. Much of the volatility stemmed from U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda, which upended global trade norms and injected new uncertainty into supply chains. China, meanwhile, pressed ahead with an increasingly assertive industrial strategy, even as it contended with slower domestic growth and structural...

Canada’s China reset just got much harder

Canada’s China reset just got much harder

Even modest Canadian engagement with China may be judged less on its merits than on how it is interpreted in the U.S. within a framework designed to ‘wind down adversarial outside influence.’


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A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.

If you're not watching what's happening in Québec you're losing the plot

If you're not watching what's happening in Québec you're losing the plot

You may want to dust off your Bescherelles, Canadian politicos: the battle for the future of Québec is where things are going to happen in 2026. In case you missed it, today the new leader of the Québec Liberal Party, Pablo Rodriguez, announced his resignation. His resignation was precipitated by a terrible, scandalous month for the QLP — one that...

A shrinking landscape for transparency

A shrinking landscape for transparency

The federal government this week dumped its load of annual statistics about citizens’ use of the Access to Information Act.

Remembering Stephen Thorne (1959-2025)

Remembering Stephen Thorne (1959-2025)

Stephen Thorne has died. The bitter, unexpected death of a tough journalist who wrote about death but couldn’t report on his own. He’d have written a damn fine story about it. I was his boss for years, in Halifax and Ottawa, though Stephen had no time for bosses. He followed his nose for stories whether or not anybody asked for...

Podcasts

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Bob Rae on Leaving a Fractured UN

Bob Rae on Leaving a Fractured UN

Bob Rae talks about his five years as Canada's Ambassador at the United Nations. And with Louise, Jeremy and Peter, he looks forward to the global challenges - and opportunities - of 2026, and how Canada and its allies can step up to reverse the damage caused by the Trump Administration, Russia and China.

Quiz time! How many 2025 political headlines do you remember?

Quiz time! How many 2025 political headlines do you remember?

This week on The House: Three Parliament Hill watchers square off against each other to see who can remember the most from a very eventful and consequential year in Canadian politics.

The Numbers: Predicting 2026 in federal politics!

The Numbers: Predicting 2026 in federal politics!

After the beating our predictions took in 2025, we’ve lifted ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and are once again ready to try to predict the political year to come. Yes, it’s time for our annual Over/Under Contest, the fifth year in a row that Philippe and I go head-to-head to see who has the better crystal ball for 2026. What...

Tom Nichols: Is This a New Low for Trump?

Tom Nichols: Is This a New Low for Trump?

The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols joins Steve to discuss Trump’s “ghoulish” comments about Rob and Michele Reiner’s murders, if this is a new low for him, how he sees the Trump administration as a “confederacy of toddlers,” if Trump is losing his grip on the Republican Party, the growing rift within the GOP, the resentments Americans feel, and what happens after...